The present invention is directed toward a rain gutter protection panel and more particularly, toward a panel that prevents water from overflowing the rain gutter and panel during heavy rains.
A common problem involved with covers used to prevent leaves, debris, and the like from clogging the rain gutter is that often rain water that bypasses the apertures formed in the cover and overflows the rain gutter. This is particularly true during unusually heavy rains.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,555 to Foster discloses a gutter system which includes a trough with an outwardly convex portion and a plurality of apertures or openings located therein. Leaves and other debris are deflected away from the trough and do not enter the apertures while the water enters the trough through the apertures. During heavy rains, however, it may be possible with this system that some rain water may bypass the apertures, overflow the rain gutter and fall to the ground. In such a case, therefore, the rain gutter protection panel is not doing an effective job.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,216,851 and 5,339,575 to Kuhns disclose rain gutter covers which fit over existing rain gutters where the covers have a plurality of apertures in a substantially vertical wall through which water enters and passes into the gutter but through which leaves or other debris are unable to enter. The rain gutter covers of these patents also include a forwardly extending flange that fits under the upper forward lip of the gutter and is attached thereto by screws that pass downwardly through the gutter lip and into the flange. According to these patents, random openings are inherently formed between the lip and the flange so that rain water that gets passed the apertures hopefully will flow through these openings and into the gutter. These systems, however, can sometimes suffer from the same problems discussed above in that it may be possible that rain water bypass the apertures and the inherent openings and overflows the rain gutter. This is believed to result from the fact that the “inherent openings” are not formed or are too small or far between. This can occur by the installer utilizing too many screws and placing them too close together to form a substantial seal between the flange and the lip. Rain water, therefore, that bypasses the apertures has no where to go but over the lip of the gutter and on to the ground.
Therefore, a need exists for a rain gutter protection panel that collects substantially all of the rain water and prevents as much water as possible from overflowing the panel and the rain gutter.